Caramel-Almond Popcorn

INGREDIENTS

Makes about 18 cups.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup corn kernels
2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil
2 cups raw almonds
2 cups packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Butter 2 rimmed baking sheets; set aside. Place corn kernels and oil in a large pot over medium-high heat; cover. Once kernels begin to pop, shake pot frequently; when popping slows to about 3 seconds between pops, remove from heat; uncover. Transfer to a large bowl. Add almonds; toss.

2. Cook sugar, butter, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring, until it reaches 255 degrees.
Remove from heat. Stir in extracts, salt, and baking soda. Pour over popcorn mixture; toss to coat.

3. Divide between prepared sheets. Bake, stirring occasionally, 1 hour 20 minutes. Let cool on wire racks. Popcorn can be stored in airtight containers up to 1 week.

{soft} CARAMEL POPCORN

1 cup butter
1/2c. dark Karo syrup
1 1/3 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 bags (or equivalent) popcorn

Melt butter, syrup and sugar in saucepan. Bring to boil for one minute only.
Remove from heat and add vanilla.
Pour over popped corn and mix well.

Crispy Mozzarella Sticks

Ingredients
1 package (17.3 ounces) Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets, thawed
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 package (12 ounces) mozzarella cheese snack sticks (12 sticks)
1 cup Prego® Marinara Italian Sauce

Directions
Heat the oven to 400°F. Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork or whisk. Place the Parmesan cheese into a shallow dish.

Unfold 1 pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Cut the pastry sheet into 6 (5 x 3-inch) rectangles. Repeat with the remaining pastry sheet, making 12 in all.

Place 1 cheese stick on a long edge of each pastry rectangle. Roll up the pastry around the cheese and press the seams and pinch the ends to seal. Brush the tops of the rolls with the egg mixture. Dip the tops into the Parmesan cheese. Place the rolls, seam-side down, onto a baking sheet. Prick the tops of the rolls with a fork.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the sticks are golden brown. Remove the sticks from the baking sheet and let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Heat the sauce in a 1-quart saucepan over medium heat until hot and bubbling, stirring occasionally. Serve the sauce with the sticks for dipping.

Fruit Dip

ingredients:

2 pkgs cream cheese softened.
-if you need to soften the cream cheese, put it in a microwave safe dish, and pop it in for 30 seconds. it will be perfectly soft.

1 cup brown sugar
1 small package white chocolate pudding mix
16 ounces vanilla yogurt

Mix all four ingredients together till smooth with no lumps. Refrigerate until time to serve.

Serve with fruit, best choice - strawberries & fuji apples.
To keep your apples from turning brown, dip them quickly in lemon juice.

Salsa Dip

1 pkg (8 oz) Cream cheese, softened
1 cup Taco Bell Thick 'N Chunky Salsa

Mix cream cheese and salsa until well blended.
Serve with cut-up fresh vegetables or tortilla chips.

Makes 2 cups or 16 servings, 2 Tbsp each.

Fruit Dip

Combine:
1 -8oz. pkg. Cream cheese
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. white sugar
-Mix until smooth.

Add: 1/2 bag Heath toffee chips

Refrigerate & dip to your heart's content.

Stawberry Shake

Vary the berries for this sweet shake according to what's freshest and in season: Try blueberries, raspberries and blackberries, or a combination of all three.


Ingredients
1/2 oz fat-free sugar-free instant vanilla pudding & pie filling mix, *
2 cups strawberries, sliced
1 cup fat-free skim milk
1/2 cup plain fat-free yogurt
Instructions
Combine all ingredients together in a blender; puree until smooth. Yields about 1 1/4 cups per serving.

Notes
*You need half a 1 ounce package.

This shake thickens if allowed to stand. If desired, add 1/4 cup of fat-free milk to each serving to thin to drinking consistency (does not affect POINTS values) or eat it with a spoon.

Guacamole

Heidi Klum & Seal’s favorite guacamole recipe {courtesy of InStyle magazine}.

4 ripe avocados, halved, pitted & peeled
2 small tomatoes, seeded & chopped
1 small onion, chopped
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 small Serrano chile, seeded & chopped (optional)
salt to taste

Coarsely mash the avocados. In a bowl combine mashed avocados, tomatoes, onion and lime juice. Stir in chile & season with salt. Cover bowl with plastic wrap & refrigerate 30 minutes

Makes about 3 cups.

Black Bean Corn Salsa

1 can black beans
1 can shopeg (white) corn, drained
2-3 diced roma tomatoes
chopped cilantro (to taste)
1-2 cubed avacados
2-3 cloves of garlic minced
juice from 1 lime
1/2 cup italian dressing (add more or less to taste)
salt and pepper to taste

Mix. Serve with tortilla chips. Enjoy!

Crowd Pleasin' Dip

Serves 16

Bean Layer
2 cans (16 oz each) refried beans
2 Tbsp each fresh lime juice and chopped cilantro
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp each minced garlic, ground cumin and hot-pepper sauce

Guacamole layer
2 ripe avocados
1 Tbsp each fresh lime juice and chopped cilantro
1 tsp each minced garlic and salt

Toppings
3/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tub (16 oz) fresh salsa

Serve with: tortilla chips, lime wedges

1. Bean Layer: Mix ingredients to blend well. On a large serving plate, shape mixture with a rubber spatula into a flat circle about 8 in. across. Run spatula around edges to smooth.

2. Guacamole Layer: Mash avocados with other guacamole ingredients until almost smooth (good guacamole should have a little texture, so leave some small chunks). Spread on bean layer.

3. Top with sour cream, then sprinkle with cheese. Cover surface directly with plastic wrap to keep out air; refrigerate up to 1 day.

4. To serve: Drain juices from salsa; spoon over cheese. Surround with chips and lime wedges; serve extra chips in a basket.

Make it really yours: Use refried black beans. Top with green salsa instead of red and sprinkle with chopped fresh tomatoes, sliced ripe olives, scallions and chilantro.

Caramel Corn

Ingredients:

Melt 1 cube butter, then add:
2 cups brown sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup corn syrup

Cook over low heat until soft-ball stage (Around 120 degrees), should take about 10 minutes. Pour over 3 bags popped corn, stir to cover evenly.

Try making into popcorn balls, wrap and gift, or just eat it.

Granola

Cooking oil spray
1/2 cup oil (canola)
1/2 cup pure maple syrup, see note
1 1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
6 cups quick cooking or old-fashioned oats (not instant)
2 cups chopped walnuts
1 cup wheat germ, see note
1 cup sweetened, shredded coconut
1 cup raisins
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries, such as Craisins, or dried cherries

Place the oven racks in the two center positions. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 11x17 inch jelly roll pans with cooking oil spray. Set aside. In a 1-quart microwave-safe bowl, combine oil, maple syrup and brown sugar. Microwave, uncovered at high for 3 minutes or until sugar starts to melt. Remove from the microwave and whisk until any lumps disappear.

In a 3-quart or larger bowl, combine the oats, walnuts, wheat germ and coconut. Toss to mix well. Pour the syrup mixture over the oat mixture and stir until well mixed. Spread evenly in jelly roll pans.

Place a pan on each oven rack and bake for 10 minutes. Taking not of which pan was on the top rack in the oven, rotating to the opposite rack. (See note) Bake for 8-10 minutes more, then remove from the oven taking care not to over brown. Cool the granola in the pans for 1 hour. Sprinkle half of the rasisins and half of the dried cherries over each pan. Stir to mix well. Store in airtight containers. Preferably glass jars or tins until ready to serve up to 2 weeks.

Nutrition information for 1 tablespoon serving:
34 calories
2 g. fat

NOTE: For best results, use only real maple syrup. Look for wheat germ in the supermarket cereal aisle. If your oven will accommodate two 11x17 inch pans side by side on the same rack, it is not necessary to rotate the pans. If not, be sure to rotate the lower pan to the top rack (and vice versa) during the second 10-minute baking time.